Breaking the Chain
by Cypher12
Summary: Pacifica has had enough of living under the shadows of her Parent's greed, deceit and pride, and decides to break the chain of her families corruption by forging her own path, leaving her old life behind and repaying the one who helped her realize the dark path she was headed on, just before it was too late.
1. Disclaimer

Disclaimer:

So I know I haven't updated this in a while, but I feel like I need to make something apparent before new readers get the wrong idea.

This Fanfiction was released sometime between "Not What He Seems" and "Tale of Two Stans". Therefore, since I can't really see the future, "The Last Mabelcorn", that features Bill Cipher and will reveal some horrifying shocking twist (Which, knowing Alex Hirsch, probably will change everything we thought we knew about Bill Cipher. Maybe Ford actually created this Triangular Demon, who knows?).

Given that this is, of course, FICTION, and non-canon, I'm going to assume this big twist, whatever it might be, doesn't exist.

Oh, yeah, and Bill Cipher is in this. Although, honestly, what Gravity Falls Fanfiction doesn't include at least mention of Bill Cipher? Well, I guess there are a few, but they're so far and between that they may as well not exist.

Anyway, I'm stalling. I should really just be working on Chapter 7... Just keep all this information in mind. TL;DR: Any new information we learned past "A Tale of Two Stans" isn't going to be brought up in this, and may as well not exist. Thanks for yout time.


	2. Prologue

Prologue

A few weeks had passed since the Northwest's held their annual Party for all the high elites from societies all around the world, or better known as "That time a Lumberjack Ghost gave everyone Wood."

Since then, Pacifica has been less obedient than she has in the past. She's learned to resist the call of her parent's Bell, and doing things on her own. She's even stopped caring so much about what's "In" or "Out", in fashion terms, and wearing what she thinks looks good. Granted, this took a bit of getting used to, especially with her parents being so strict.

Her parents have grounded her many times for these acts of individuality, but this only made her spite for her parents grow. She honestly began to despise being even called a Northwest, She wished she could go back in time, and grow up in a regular family. One that loved her not because she would be molded into an exact replica of the same greedy, back-stabbing types of their family who would inherit mass fortunes, but because of her uniqueness and personality.

She didn't need a servant to learn how to be the best at Mini-golf, in fact, what's the fun in anything if you treat everything like a competition? Did she even have any natural talents, or were they all a product of her parent's conquest to mold the perfect child?

A chain is only as strong as it's weakest link. if that's true, then the Northwest Chain must be battered and rusty, with only gold paint to give it the superiority complex that other regular chains don't possess, to give it the illusion it's better than everyone else, despite the fact it's not able to even keep a mouse from breaking it into pieces.

Pacifica stared out of her window, it was cloudy. Very cloudy, would probably rain soon. Her room overlooked the entire town, and so she could see the statue of Gravity Fall's founder, Nathaniel Northwest. There was a time she looked at that statue in admiration, with a sort of Honor. But now it only was a grim reminder of what fate awaited her, a train wreck disguised as a Golden Temple.

That is, if Pacifica stayed with her family. The Northwests would only drag her down, she needed to get out of this rut.

Pacifica then see's a light at the end of her dark tunnel of self-deprecation, a rather large one at that.

The light was shining from a place she visited only twice, the Mystery Shack. The name did leave a foul taste in her mouth, the only two times she went there it felt like a total heckhole. But… those were times she was still under the bonds of her parents. Maybe it's not as bad as it seems.

She also remembered something else, only since the party did Pacifica realize how little her family really cared about her. It didn't matter who she was, they'd still mold her into the perfect little star that she's meant to be. But the funny thing about stars are, eventually they die out. Pacifica didn't want to go that way.

Dipper. Out of all the Pines, she knew Dipper was the one she could actually tolerate. Unfortunately, he was also the one who hated her the most. But ever since the party, she knew his opinion changed, and if it didn't ,she'd prove it to him.

She needed to see him again. She didn't know why, maybe to thank him or… something. She would've never realized this truth until it was too late if it weren't for him, heck, she would've probably been turned into Wood. She needed to do something to express her gratitude…

She made the decision that night she'd leave her house, tonight. The light of the Mystery Shack, for some reason, was so bright it dulled out any other building, tree or obstacle. She felt as if it were calling her. She put on a dress and boots, and an umbrella in case it rained, and began her escape.

The house was rather large, so the chances of her being caught were slim. However, it was imperative to her escape she was not caught by one of the Night Watch. It was rather ridiculous how they only had one guard protecting the entire mansion, for how large it truly was. Or maybe there were two, but either way, it was a ridiculously small amount. There should probably be 12, but no, apparently one is good enough.

Pacifica headed down the long, empty corridors that were in her family's mansion. So vast, even tiptoeing caused an echo. Luckily her parents were very deep sleepers, so leaving was just a matter of unlocking the front door and climbing over the fence.

As she headed down, she looked at the pictures of her family's relatives. All standing in a heroic, or honorable stature, while posing for a picture that would represent history. Pacifica sighed, truly wishing she could forget the true pictures of those events. But they stuck, like gum on the bottom of a table.

She noticed the light of the Night Guard from alongside the corner of a left turn, so she had to hide. She found a statue, and dashed behind it.

The Night Guard slowly shuffled his way past the statue Pacifica was hiding behind, she was growing a bit impatient.

'Hurry up, you old bag of...' Pacifica whispered, but that alerted the Night Guard, who turned his candle towards her hiding spot. She shut up immediately.

The old Guard glared at the statue, and then continued his rounds around the mansion, shuffling a bit more cautiously. Pacifica let out a sigh of relief.

She made it to the foyer of the Mansion, her boots making much more echo than before. She heard the sounds of rain beginning to drip on the windowsills, but it wasn't anything major yet.

Pacifica looked up at the scorched family picture that hung above the main staircase. They still hadn't replaced it since the incident, probably because nowadays they didn't have time to pose in front of a painter for nearly 12 hours so he could get it "Just right".

She smiled, remembering the times she spent with Dipper at the party. Though they weren't great memories, they did teach her a lot about the true nature of her family, no matter how gruesome it turned out to be.

Pacifica, however, had little time to reminisce. She had a door to open, luckily she knew exactly where her family hid the key. It was hidden in a secret compartment underneath a table by the front door, she unlocked the door and slipped out without anyone noticing.

She now was faced with the problem of the gate. Opening it would cause too much noise, and she couldn't as well jump off the cliff on the other side of the house. She would have to climb over it.

Pacifica brushed alongside the large, stone gates that protected the Northwest Family until she found a scalable part of the wall. She used the notches in the wall as a ladder of sorts. Since mostly everything was done for her, her physical strength was, say, less than admirable.

But, despite the needed effort she used to climb the wall, she had triumphed. She stood atop the large wall, and patted herself on the back for doing such a good job. But while she was congratulating herself, a burst of wind blew her down, into the trees that surrounded her home.

She probably hit every single tree on the way down, by the time she reached the bottom her dress was torn and dirtied by the mud that broke her fall.

"Ugh, stupid Pine Trees…" Pacifica cursed, as she headed down the path to the road.

Pacifica headed towards the path to the actual town of Gravity Falls, her umbrella coming in handy when it began to drizzle. Despite her hair being absolutely ruined from those trees, the last thing she'd want is for all this long hair to become soaking wet. It wasn't even a fashion thing, wet hair was just annoying for Pacifica.

She didn't think anyone who'd care would be walking or driving around this time of night, so her appearance didn't matter. Otherwise, she'd probably be panicking at alert level 7. Torn dress and messy, twigged up hair? Yech, it'd be a media disaster.

"Wait... " Pacifica stopped to think of something, "I'm thinking like my parents would… I need to stop that."

She slapped herself, and continued walking through the rain.

As she continued down her path, she passed by the Miniature Golf Place.

While she was a fan of Mini-golf, it didn't rub her the right way anymore after that incident with those little Ball creatures. But it did teach her a good lesson on rivalries, and one could argue it was the first step forward in her path of rediscovery. Those Pines twins were crazy, but in a good way.

She walked past it with a smile on her face, but was quickly beaten down when the wind blew her Umbrella into the Golf Course. While she could go and get it, a quick blast from the past reminded her what happened last time she went in there after dark.

She decided it'd be best she leave it behind.

"Pleh, Blech… stupid hair." Pacifica blurted every few seconds, her long, wet hair was getting stuck in her mouth. This is why she found wet hair so annoying, she considered cutting it. Or maybe putting it up in a ponytail… maybe that'd look good.

She tried pushing it out of her eyes, but that barely worked at all. She decided to just give up and deal with the limited vision. She kept walking a steady pace, the light of the Mystery Shack still glowing brightly.

She finally reached the concrete pathway that was the Town of Gravity Falls. She walks past all the buildings, most of their lights are off. The only light illuminating this dark town are, street lights, the Mystery Shack is no longer visible to her due to it being hidden behind so many trees. But she could still find her way with the signs that pointed toward the Mystery Shack.

But before she headed directly there, she had to make a detour to see Nathaniel Northwest's Statue.

She looked up at it, remembering back to Pioneer Day when Dipper rudely revealed the truth about the town's founder. It was difficult to process at the time, but now she knew he only had the best intentions.

She spit on the plaque dedicated in his honor, and strutted away confidently.

The rain was hitting hard as Pacifica made the last few miles to the Mystery Shack. She looked behind her and saw her Mansion, she was amazed at how far she went just to see one person. It made her wonder why she did this in the first place. She kept walking, but she thought about what she was even going to say. This whole journey was just to see one person, but she hadn't the faintest idea why, she just did this on impulse. Was it just to prove she could defy her parents? Was it to thank the one who freed her from the chains of ignorance?

Or was it….

Pacifica walked up the steps to the Mystery Shack, and just stared at the door. It took her some confidence to finally knock on the door.

 _Knock, Knock, Knockity Knock Knock._

Everyone was asleep. Grunkle Stan and his Twin, Soos was back at his house, as well as Wendy, Mabel was also asleep… but Dipper was still wide awake.

Ever since the Author came back, there's been more mayhem than ever. Which would make one think he'd enjoy a good nap, but being Dipper, he just has to worry about every. Little. Detail.

He heard the door knocking, despite the rain hitting down hard. He noticed Mabel was asleep, as well as the time.

"Now, who could that be…?" Dipper wondered, sliding out of his chair to get the door.

He makes it to the front door, and when he opens it, he see's Pacifica Northwest. Her hair is wet and filled with twigs and leaves, her dress is torn in various places, and her eyes are looking directly into Dipper's.

"Oh, hey Pacifica. What're you doing here?" Dipper asked Pacifica, getting a little weirded out by Pacifica's silence.

She only looked at Dipper. She thought of all the possible things she could say, all the possible outcomes, different scenarios and all… but the one thing she thought was the correct response was to do what felt right.

"Uh, Pacifica?" Dipper asked again.

Pacifica closed her eyes, and simply embraced Dipper in a long hug, trying to mask her despair.

Dipper could see she was upset, and despite being a bit surprised at first, she returned the comfort she needed. He gave a sympathy return hug, and they both stood there, underneath the flickering light of the Mystery Shack in the pouring rain.

It only lasted a few moments, but for Pacifica, it lasted a whole eternity. The only reason she wanted to come all this way, to break her parents strict ruling was because she wanted to thank Dipper. Thank him for all that he's done to help her realize all the things she'd been doing wrong. She was no longer a puppet, she knew now what she wanted to do, and this is all she's ever wanted to do since that night at the party a few weeks ago.

A chain is only as strong as it's weakest that is true, then the Pines Chain is one of the strongest chains in the entire world.

And that's all Pacifica ever wanted to be a part of.


	3. Chapter 1: Reintroduction

Chapter 1: Reintroduction

The rain stopped early in the dawn, leaving behind a thin mist over the sunrise. It was a beautiful sight, and even more so when deep in the woods.

Pacifica was lying on the couch, where she had slept the previous night. Despite her objections, there wasn't much else to sleep on with such short notice. It did feel a bit awkward waking up in such a new environment.

She heard commotion in the kitchen, so she hopped off her makeshift bed onto the creaky, poorly-matted floors of the Mystery Shack's living room and made her way to the noise.

A bright light blinded her when she entered the kitchen, but when her eyes adjusted to the light, she saw Mabel and Dipper eating their breakfast, which consisted of poorly-made Pancakes and Eggs.

She pulled up a chair, rubbing her eyes after the not-so-restful sleep she had.

"Hey, Pacifica." Dipper said to her first, "You get any sleep last night?"

"Humh? Oh, yeah... " Pacifica replied groggily, "It just wasn't easy sleeping on that hard-as-rocks chair."

"Why'd you come here, anyway?" Mabel asked.

"I, um…. I just had to get away for a while." Pacifica responded hastily.

"But why here? I'd think this'd be the last place…"

Mabel was cut off nearly instantly, "Look, I'm way too tired to deal with all this right now. Can I just have something drink?" Pacifica shouts.

After that outburst, Grunkle Stan walks in with his head shoved inside a newspaper. He takes a seat, and it seems that the Northwest family found out about Pacifica's disappearance quickly, as proof by one of the newspaper articles.

Pacifica can't say she didn't expect this, but she just didn't expect to happen so quickly.

"Huh, would you look at that…" Stan states, oblivious to Pacifica's presence, "Looks like that annoying brat Pacifica ran away, heh, bet they'd pay quite a lot for her safety."

"Uh, Stan?" Dipper tries to grab his Grunkle's attention, but he ignores, off on his own train of thought.

"If we could just find her, we could hold her hostage until they pay up! How much do you think she's worth, $200,000? A million? What do you think, Mabel?" Stan asked.

"Stan, I think you…" Mabel told Stan, but was cut off again.

"You're right, she's not worth NEARLY that much, but they probably don't know that. So here's the plan, Dipper, you stick with me and we'll come up with the solid Hostage strategy, Pacifica and Mabel, you two go out and search for… Wait, what?" Stan the looks in front of him, and finally notices Pacifica who is looking at him in a stunned silence.

"Ooohohoho, I'm sorry, kid. I didn't mean it, you know I was just joking around!" Stan laughed, ruffling Pacifica's hair playfully, but her reaction was less than pleasant.

She grabbed Stan's hand angrily, and growled, "Don't. Touch. My. Hair."

"Okay, sheesh. Bit moody in the morning, huh?" Stan scoffed, and goes to make himself some coffee.

After Breakfast, Mabel went off to hang out with her friends, while Dipper gave Pacifica the tour of the house.

"If you're going to be staying here for a while, I may as well show you around." Dipper stated, as they entered the Gift Shop.

"This is Soos, he's your go-to guy if you need anything. He can do a lot of stuff, despite what his outward appearance may tell you." Dipper said as he gestured towards a tall, fat man in a green shirt.

"Oh, so he's your servant! I thought you guys were too poor to have those… where's his suit, though?" Pacifica wondered.

"I think the goat ate it, and I wouldn't call him a servant. He's more a… Handyman." Dipper explained.

"Whatever. Is there anyone less ugly around here?" Pacifica asked.

Dipper nodded, and turned her towards the cashier desk where a long-haired Redhead was working the register. She was reading a magazine and looked generally disinterested in whatever it was about.

"That's Wendy. She doesn't do much, but our Grunkle Stan doesn't have the energy to fire her, and…" Dipper cut his own sentence off, blushing.

"...And what?" Pacifica asked.

"I.. used to have a crush on her…" Dipper admitted.

Pacifica laughed, "Oh, my gosh, really?"

"I know, it was stupid, what with her being way older than me…" Dipper continued.

"No, I mean you could do WAY better. Even without the age difference, she's at best a 5." Pacifica mentioned.

"Out of 5, right?" Dipper tried to finish.

"...Out of 100." Pacifica replied, "You're better than that, Dip."

"...Did you just call me 'Dip'?" Dipper asked after a brief silence.

Pacifica's eyes opened wide, realizing what she said, and quickly corrected herself by stating, "Uh, no, I said… Nothing, nevermind."

Dipper shrugged and continued with the tour.

"Now, you know my Grunkle Stan," Dipper started, gesturing towards Grunkle Stan in his normal 'Mister Mystery' outfit.

"Of course I do." Pacifica stated matter-of-factly.

"Well, take a look at this!" Dipper then stood back, and from behind Grunkle Stan, a near identitcal copy came from right behind him.

"What the…" Pacifica was impressed, but then crossed her arms, "Wait, is this some kind of trick?"

"No tricks, Pacifica. I guess that's why they call me Mr. Mystery!" The two Stans said at the same time.

"Well… Alright, that's a pretty good one." Pacifica admitted, "Are we done with the illusions now?"

"Haha… yeah, alright. Let's keep going." Dipper said, finishing his laughter.

When the two left, one of the Stan's took off their hat to reveal they were actually Ford Pines.

"I've been waiting so long to do that!" Grunkle Stan exclaimed, celebrating internally.

"That's the last time I'm ever doing that…" Ford Pines stated.

"You live with some crazy people, Dipper." Pacifica said, as she sat on Mabel's bed in the attic.

"Yeah, but what can I say? They're my kind of crazy." Dipper replied.

"...Hey, Dipper?"

"Yeah, Pacifica?"

"I gotta say… a few weeks ago, back at the party we held at the Mansion… you really helped open my eyes."

"Oh? Well, you know, I was just… You know." Dipper said, smiling awkwardly, rubbing the back of his hat. He sat down on the bed Pacifica was on, on the Opposite side of where she was sitting.

"You're different than anybody else I've seen in this town." Pacifica said.

"Really? How?"

"You're not afraid to question things, you stand up for yourself… You're not like how I acted." Pacifica said, shuffling a bit closer to Dipper.

"I mean, yeah, but…" Dipper said, but he didn't know how to finish that sentence.

Through the silence, the two move closer to each other, and the both turn to face each other.

"I just wish I knew earlier…" Pacifica said.

"...You and me aren't too different, are we?"

"Oh, no, we're like night and day… Right?"

"We both want to be our own person, not pushed down…"

"Maybe we… should…" Pacifica said.

But just then, their little moment is interrupted by Grunkle Stan calling down Dipper.

"I-I should go." Dipper said, as he scooted off the bed and headed out the door. Pacifica tried to reach out and stop him, but she was unable.

Pacifica just looked at the half-open door, and laid back down on Mabel's bed. Staring at the wooden ceiling, thinking about her choices.

"What happened there…? It's like everything just went blank, and all that mattered was me and him… Ugh, that's stupid. He's not that great, but then again…"

Pacifica argued with herself over and over in her mind for about half an hour, until she herself was called down by Dipper.

Pacifica was still unsure of her feelings for Dipper, but she did know that there was special about something for her. Something that she hasn't seen in all her time in Gravity Falls.


	4. Chapter 2: Reevaluation

Chapter 2: Reevalutation

Pacifica headed down the stairs, but heard Grunkle Stan and Dipper were discussing something between each other, and decided to eavesdrop.

She sat down on one of the steps, and listened to the two talk…

"We can't just send her back." Dipper spoke in a convincing manner, "Her parents would never let her hear the end of this."

"So what? That's not your problem, and she needs to fight her own battles. Not drag others into the fire." Grunkle Stan stated.

Pacifica felt worried. She didn't think she was that much of a burden on them, but she didn't want to go back with her parent's. On top of them being controlling, dictative and downright selfish, they weren't very forgiving either. If she went home, who knows what kind of punishment awaited her.

Dipper was also well aware of how controlling and dominant Pacifica's parents were over her, and he felt they would make a bad decision just to send her back to them.

"Can't we just… let her stay until Friday?" Dipper offered.

"Until Friday? I dunno…" Stan considered.

"I just want to help Pacifica." Dipper said.

"Help her? How?"

"However I can. She can't face her parents alone, and I'm not going to stand by as you send her back to a heartless family!"

Grunkle Stan sighed, "Fine, kid. She has until Friday, and then she's gone."

"Thanks, Grunkle Stan. I promise, she won't bug you too much."

Pacifica smiled. She had a feeling that Dipper didn't want her to leave for a different reason than he lead on. As Grunkle Stan finished his conversation with Preston Northwest on the other line, Pacifica strolled down with a smirk on her face.

"What're you so happy about?" Dipper asked.

"Oh, nothing, Dip-head." Pacifica stated playfully.

"Alright, well, I got some good news for you!" Dipper stated.

"What, that you convinced your 'Gruncle' to let me stay until Friday?" Pacifica said.

"Y-yeah, how'd you…" Dipper cut off his own sentence, deciding it wasn't very important, "Anyway, for the next week you're going to get in-touch with your inner personality, and I promise by the end of the week, you won't even recognize yourself in the mirror!"

"As if I'm not perfect already?" Pacifica gloated, whipping her hair back.

"Well, I wouldn't put it like that, but…" Dipper said, trying to formulate the best way in his head to say this without being insulting, but he was cut off anyway by Pacifica pulling his hat down over his eyes playfully.

"Let's just do this, come on!" Pacifica exclaimed, as she headed up the stairs.

Dipper followed close behind, but soon was stopped when Pacifica stopped and turned her head back to Dipper to say, "Oh, yeah, and Dipper?"

"Yeah, Pacifica?"

"Thanks for letting me stay." Pacifica said, and they both exchanged smiles.

Pacifica and Dipper headed back up to the Attic to prepare for the re-evaluation of Pacifica's Life.

"Alright, Pacifica. Let's go over the basics, what are you interested in?" Dipper asked, holding a clipboard with a piece of paper with "Pacifica" written on the top.

"Oh, a lot of stuff. Makeup, Fancy Dresses, Classical music…" Pacifica started rattling off, but was cut off by Dipper.

"Ooookay, what about some more specific things? Maybe, What's your favorite color?" Dipper asked.

"Favorite color? Whichever one is in-style right now, obviously." Pacifica answered.

"Alright, if it were up to you, what color would you pick to be 'In-style'?" Dipper asked.

"I… Don't know, I never thought about that. Maybe… Green? No, no, blue… No, red! Wait, I like green now…" Pacifica stumbled over her words as she tried to come up with answers.

"Okay, maybe we'll just put this aside for now," Dipper said, ripping off the paper he had on the Clipboard. "Let's move on to the next exercise to learning more about your personal identity."

They both head outside of the Mystery Shack, Dipper holding a Golf Ball in one hand and a putter in the other.

"So, how's Golf going to help me learn more about myself?" Pacifica asked.

"You'll see, just use the Putter to hit the ball onto the target." Dipper explained, pointing towards a bullseye target on the Totem Pole.

Pacifica nodded, despite not understanding what this is supposed to mean. She revs up her shot, and then, as hard as she could…

 _WHACK!_

The Ball goes flying straight past the Totem Pole, barely even grazing the target.

"How'd I miss? I've had years of practice, I totally should've hit that!" Pacifica roared.

"What does it matter? The point of a game is to have fun, not to win." Dipper explained.

"It's not fun losing, though." Pacifica stated.

"You're thinking about it too much, even if you miss a million times, all that matters is the time you spend here. Who you spend it with, just have fun with it!" Dipper said, taking the putter and pulling another Golf Ball from his pocket. He strikes the ball with the putter aiming it nowhere near the Target.

Pacifica watched the ball ricochet off a tree, the roof of the Shack, the Golf Cart, and many other things until it finally hit the paper the Target was on.

"Woah… how'd you do that?" Pacifica wondered, with a look of awe.

"Oh, it was easy. Let me show you." Dipper said, going over to reclaim the two balls he brought. He returned shortly after, dropping the ball on the ground.

"You know how they say 'Keep your eyes on the prize'? Don't do that. Aim for that tree right behind the Pole." Dipper explained, pointing towards a large pine tree.

Pacifica, in a slight panic, hit the ball while barely registering where she was hitting it. The Ball followed a similar path that Dipper's ball went, but this time it only hit the area above the Target.

"That was awesome!" Pacifica cheered.

"You see? You didn't even hit the target, but that was still great!" Dipper said, "I'm gonna go get more balls."

The two spent the next few hours just hitting Golf Balls at the target, coming up with new ways of hitting and aiming.

After hours of hitting Balls and retrieving them, they both take a break. They both sit down, leaning against the Totem Pole.

"I never knew that game could be played for fun… I always played it so competitively, I guess I forgot how to really have fun." Pacifica admitted.

"Yeah…" Dipper said, yawning, "Man, how long were we doing that?" Dipper asked, looking up at the sky. It was a deep orange, signifying sunset.

"It's that late already?" Pacifica said, only now realizing the time, "Time sure does fly."

"Yeah…" Dipper said again.

Pacifica looked at Dipper, who seemed to be enjoying the sunset in the deep woods. Pacifica had to admit that the sunset inside the woods was much different, and even a bit more beautiful, than at her Family Manor.

Pacifica shifted closer to Dipper, and then Dipper shifted closer to Pacifica. They were side-by-side, shoulder to shoulder. Watching the sun set over the horizon.

Even though neither would admit it, both Dipper and Pacifica felt that that they were with each other made this moment even better.

But what neither noticed, was that there was an onlooker watching them from behind the bushes, who didn't want to ruin such a moment. It was Mabel Pines, who just now returned from hanging out with her friends. While she can say she was a bit surprised at first, she soon became excited and grinned very wide. She sat there and watched as the two 'Lovebirds' sat beside each other in silence.

Each and every one of Mabel's Summer Romances were a failure, but it would be a cold day in hell if she'd let Dipper lose this Summer Romance.


	5. Chapter 3: Repayment

Chapter 3: Repayment

Dipper and Pacifica headed in afterwards, when the sun fell beyond the line of visible sight. Pacifica went about her own business, while Dipper headed back upstairs into his room. He was spending so much with with Pacifica, he nearly forgot about his research on the Journals.

Dipper opened the door to her room, and saw his Twin Sister laying on her bed. She looked up, and when she saw Dipper she immediately sat up, smiling brightly.

"Hey, Mabel. You have a good day?" Dipper asked, grabbing the Journal.

Mabel nodded, "Yeah, yeah, but let's talk about your day. From what I 'Heard', you spent a lot of time with Pacifica!"

"Oh, yeah. Recently, she's just seemed less… awful than she normally is." Dipper stated, flipping through the Journal passively.

"Oh, yeah? You suuuure that's not because of any specific reason?" Mabel asked in a singsong manner.

"It's probably because I've never actually interacted with Pacifica this personally before. In fact, she's pretty unique for who she is." Dipper explained.

"Ooooooohhh…" Mabel said while rising slowly from behind Dipper.

"What? Why're you saying that?" Dipper asked, seeming confused.

"I think _Someone_ is in looooooove!" Mabel exclaimed.

"WHAT? No! I don't love Pacifica… I mean, sure, she could be a great friend, but…" Dipper tried to defend himself, but Mabel could read through him like an open book.

"Oh, Dipper, it's alright if you're not ready to admit it yet. But could you PLEEEEEASE not ruin this Summer Romance? All of mine failed, I don't want my bro-bro to go through that heartbreak." Mabel pleaded, pulling out her scrapbook of Summer Romances.

"Ugh… Fine, I won't 'Ruin' it. Despite it not really being there in the first place." Dipper accepted, only doing so because he knew her Sister wouldn't let him hear the end of it if he declined.

"YAAAAY!" Mabel cheered, and hugged Dipper, "Thanks, 'Dip'!"

"D-Dip?" Dipper repeated, hearing that word for a second time.

"I heard Pacifica call you that earlier today, I thought that was your new Nickname." Mabel explained.

"Well, don't call me that. Just call me Dipper." Dipper stated firmly, before he went back to studying the Journal.

Pacifica had to sleep on the uncomfortable couch once more, since there weren't any other rooms for Pacifica to sleep in.

She couldn't sleep. Not just because of the scratchy, cold and hard cushions of the couch, or the constant hum of the Vending Machine just in the other room, but her mind was elsewhere. She had her mind on the future, she knew she couldn't stay here forever. She would return to her parents eventually, and she'd go back to being "Pacifica the Perfect Child". It's not the life she wanted.

She envied the life of Dipper. Not having to worry about such trivial things as their hair, how they dressed, their reputation with the entire town and only having a few friends instead of followers who only liked you for your good looks.

Sometimes, she even wished that she had Mabel's life. It felt like there was nobody closer to Dipper than his Twin Sister.

While she was in her state of panic, she heard the constant click of a pen. It seemed to be coming from upstairs, and the only one who'd be up this late would either be that Goat, or Dipper.

Pacifica sighed, and sneaked her way upstairs to go see Dipper.

Dipper was studying the journal for ciphers and codes, to discover it's secrets. Ford was always so busy during the day, it was difficult to get some one-on-one time with him about these books. So, Dipper put it on himself to solve the Journal's mysteries alone.

He got little sleep, but he didn't let it bother him. It was a necessary sacrifice, as he would put it.

As he was clicking his pen, he heard the stairs creak. Someone was coming upstairs, a strange, new event. Dipper was normally the only one up this late, who could be coming up now at this hour?

Dipper jumped off from his chair, and took out a Flashlight. He slowly turned open the door, and shone the light on Pacifica's face.

"Aaugh! Wait! Stop! It's me!" Pacifica whisper yelled, trying not to wake anyone up.

"Oh, sorry, Pacifica." Dipper said, turning the Flashlight to a dimmer setting, "What're you doing up here this late?"

"I, uh… Well, I could ask you the same thing." Pacifica stated.

"You wouldn't understand, but let's just say it's REALLY important." Dipper explained.

"Dipper, I've seen little Golf Ball People and a Lumberjack Ghost. I think I can understand whatever Midnight Project you're doing." Pacifica reminded Dipper.

"...Alright, fine." Dipper caved in, and gestured for Pacifica to enter his room.

There was a single light illuminating three Journals on a desk, paper with theories and crazy patterns and codes written all over the table.

"You've finally gone mad, haven't you?" Pacifica joked, laughing playfully.

"No, these are the other Journals. I've been studying them for weeks, trying to decipher their secrets." Dipper explained, "I've been up for weeks, but I feel like…"

"For weeks? How do you have any energy to do… anything?" Pacifica wondered.

"Pure willpowe.. Power... " Dipper yawns, but then slaps himself awake, "I'm up! I'm up."

Pacifica felt so bad for Dipper. He got so worked up over these Journals, his own personal health was at stake. Dipper helped her in the past, and now it was time for her to repay the favor.

"Dipper," Pacifica said, closing the Journal he had his head glued in, "You're going crazy over nothing. You need to get your rest."

"Rest is for the weak, Pacifica. The more I stay up, the more… The more I…" Dipper tried to finish his sentence, but was cut off by his yawn.

Pacifica smiled, finding his stubbornness a bit cute. She took Dipper by the shoulders, and guided him to his bed.

Dipper got into bed without much of a struggle, his sleep-deprived mind not even truly registering the situation.

"Goodnight, Dipper." Pacifica said, as Dipper immediately fell into a deep sleep, his body was well needing of one.

She went to turn off the light on Dipper's desk and head back downstairs, but then she saw Dipper sleeping there so peacefully.

She smiled, and as she turned off the light, she laid down on the edge of Dipper's bed. It was much more comfortable than what she was sleeping on downstairs, and getting to sleep alongside Dipper was just icing on the cake.

At this moment, Pacifica's feelings for Dipper were rock-solid. She liked being with Dipper more than anyone she's ever met in her life, and only wanted to spend more time with him.

The next day, the sun rose and Dipper was the first to wake up. He looked around and saw Mabel, still sleeping calmly in her own bed.

But when he saw Pacifica sleeping on the edge of the bed where he was sleeping, while at first he was a bit surprised, he soon flopped over to be facing Pacifica, his head resting on his hands. He kept a steady distance from Pacifica, so he wasn't all up in her face, but so that he would be the first thing she saw when she woke up.

And that's exactly what happened, she woke up to see Dipper's face, fully-rested, eyes half-open and smiling.

"Oh, M-morning, Dipper. Hope you didn't mind me sleeping here, it's just the couch is so uncomfortable and…" Pacifica started to explain, but Dipper stopped her mid-sentence.

"Pacifica…." Dipper began.

"Yeah?" Pacifica replied.

"...Thank you."

Pacifica smiled, and toppled over to give Dipper a big hug. Her returned the gesture, and it was probably the best morning either of them ever had.


	6. Chapter 4: Reversal

Chapter 4: Reversal

For the next few days, Dipper and Pacifica had gotten along much better than normal. Dipper continued to help Pacifica be a regular kid, and was doing a lot more stuff with her.

Mabel was so happy to see Dipper and Pacifica getting along so well, it was pretty amazing actually. With how antisocial Dipper usually is, he's really opened up more over the summer.

However, her happiness for Dipper went from high to low, when she became more skeptical. Why'd Pacifica want to come here? The more she thought about it, it didn't make any sense. That is, until she considered the possibility that Pacifica is just playing Dipper out to get something from him.

"That's silly," Mabel said out loud, trying to quell her skepticism, "We don't have anything that Pacifica would want! ...But we might have something her parents want…"

Mabel decided she'd confront Pacifica about this, so she left to go track her down.

It didn't take long for Mabel to find Dipper and Pacifica, she saw Dipper showing Pacifica some of the entries in the Journal in the backyard of the Shack. Mabel hid behind the Totem Pole to eavesdrop…

"...This book is full of crazy stuff. Why'd you take any of it seriously?" Pacifica said, flipping through the pages.

"I just had a feeling… Oh, this one is pretty neat, you might like this," Dipper said as he flipped to the page of Bill Cipher.

"What's this?" Pacifica asked.

"His name is Bill Cipher, he's this crazy Triangle guy who enters your mind, and can do whatever he wants there." Dipper explained.

"Sounds cool!" Pacifica said, looking at the drawing. She couldn't help but feel like she's seen something like him somewhere else...

"Really? cool? My sister just thinks it's 'Nerd stuff'..." Dipper sighed.

"I think it's cute, how you get so involved with crazy paranormal stuff." Pacifica responded.

Dipper blushed, "Ah, O-okay, let's just move on to the next page..."

"Hey, Dipper!" Mabel called out to the two.

Mabel looked at Pacifica, and stated flatly, "Pacifica."

"Mabel." Pacifica responded.

"Hey, Mabel, you need something?" Dipper asked.

"Actually, yes. Can I talk with Pacifica… privately, please?" Mabel asked.

"Uhm… yeah, I guess. I need to get some Water anyway, it's hot out here!" Dipper exclaimed.

"Maybe if you didn't wear that puffy vest…" Pacifica mentioned.

Dipper smiled, "You're one to talk, Ms. Wears-A-Jacket-Everywhere."

"...Alright, you got me there." Pacifica smiled back as Dipper headed off.

"Alright, Pacifica, what game are you playing?" Mabel growled, glaring down Pacifica from the other end of the table.

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Pacifica asked, fumbling a bit.

"Don't play innocent with me, I know you're up to no good! Why else would you come here?" Mabel stated angrily.

"I came here because I had nowhere else to go!" Pacifica defended herself, "If I could've gone anywhere else-"

"You could've! You're a Northwest, you could go to ANYWHERE in Gravity Falls, and you chose your least favorite place in the whole planet!"

"You don't understand, I… I can't explain, but I…" Pacifica worried, she couldn't tell Mabel the real reason she left her mansion.

"Yes you can! Tell me, right now, why did you leave your family? Why did you come here? What's your plan? ANSWER ME!" Mabel roared, shaking Pacifica aggressively.

"Mabel, what're you doing!" Dipper's voice called out from behind Mabel.

Mabel quickly arranged herself, "Oh, uhm, nothing! I was just… talking calmly to Pacifica!"

Pacifica was shocked. She had never seen, or expected, such an explosive reaction from Mabel. It came out of nowhere, and it all happened so fast that she honestly had no idea how to react.

Mabel tried to laugh it off, and walked away slowly, but it was obvious neither Dipper nor Pacifica were having that great a time.

Dipper came back inside a while later, and noticed Mabel laying on the couch.

"What was that all about?" Dipper asked, a bit irritated.

"I don't know! I guess some of your wild paranoia rubbed off on me, and I just snapped." Mabel explained.

Dipper sighed, "It's fine, Pacifica said she needed a few minutes to process what happened, I think she'll be fine as well."

"That's the thing, Dipper!" Mabel stated, "Why do you care so much about Pacifica recently?"

"I thought you were happy for me, Mabel. Just a few days ago, you could barely get to sleep, and now you're asking questions?" Dipper wondered.

"That was before I thought about it deeper. I think Pacifica is using you for something." Mabel explained.

Dipper laughed, "I don't think so, Mabel. What do we have that she wants?"

"It's not what she wants, it's what her parents want. Maybe this is all just some kind of setup!" Mabel worried.

"Mabel, you're acting as crazy as I was a few weeks ago. Pacifica doesn't want anything to do with her parents." Dipper explained.

"How do you know that?" Mabel asked.

"Because, during the Party at the Northwest Mansion… Well, let's just say she's convinced me."

"How do you know she's not just saying those things just to butter you up, or something?"

"Look, Mabel, you need to stop worrying about this. If something really WERE fishy about this, I'd be the one with a panic attack, not you!"

Mabel sighed, "I guess that's right…"

Later that evening, Dipper and Pacifica were watching a movie in the Living Room. Both were right next to each other on the chair.

Mabel still wasn't sure about Pacifica, she still had the feeling Dipper wasn't doing the right thing. She had to do something about this, but what?

She then recognized the phone right next to her, with a Sticky-note that had Pacifica's Parent's Phone Number. It was so that they could remember to call her parents on Friday. It was Wednesday today, so by Friday it may be too late.

She had to call Pacifica's parents, but when she reached for the phone, she thought of if what Dipper said was true, that Pacifica really changed. But what if he was wrong, Dipper can make mistakes sometimes, and Pacifica was very manipulative.

She could just wait until Friday, but what if Pacifica makes Dipper leave with her?

"Maybe that's her plan," Mabel thought, "But she could just be trying to be nice…"

"But she's not nice, you know that, Mabel!" She continued to think, "But we couldn't hurt Dipper's feelings by calling her Parents, how would he feel?"

"Who would know it's you? Just call anonymously," Mabel was still in deep thought, "But Dipper would know, who else knows Pacifica is here?"

"You could just claim to be someone who saw her nearby there," Mabel was convinced now, "But how could I live with the guilt?"

"Dipper will thank you for it later, but this has to be done."

Mabel picked up the phone, and began to dial the Northwests Number. The phone rang, and the Butler answered.

"Northwest Manor, how may I direct your call?" The Butler asked.

"Yes, uhm... " Mabel coughs to change her voice to a more gruff, low tone, "Yes, I'd like to give some information on the location of Pacifica Northwest."

"Very well, Sir. I shall alert Mr. and Mrs. Northwest immediately." The Butler put the phone on hold while he left to get the Parents of Pacifica. Mabel felt a bit weird being called 'Sir', it just didn't sit right with her.

The phone was taken off of hold after a few minutes of waiting, and the Father of Pacifica was on the line, "I heard you know where my Daughter is, well spit it out."

"Yes, uhm, I think I saw her a few days ago walking up the path to the Mystery Shack. She may be there." Mabel said, in her altered voice.

"Well, we'll go have a look at this Mystery Shack right now. Thank you sir, what is your name?" Mr. Northwest thanked.

"Uhm… Norman." Mabel responded.

"Norman, we thank you for your help, and hope you live a life as wealthy as ours one day." Mr. Northwest thanked her again, and then hung up.

Mabel wiped away some sweat, walking away from the phone. She passed by the door, and hid behind the wall to look over at Dipper and Pacifica

Pacifica was cuddling up against Dipper, and they seemed so happy together. Mabel pushed her back against the wall and slid down it slowly.

"Oh, no… what have I done?"


	7. Chapter 5: Returnal

Chapter 5: Returnal

"Oh, man, Dipper's gonna kill me! What was I thinking…" Mabel worried, wondering how long it would take Pacifica's Parents to actually get there.

Dipper and Pacifica were blissfully unaware of Mabel's actions, and were finishing watching the movie. As the Credits roll, Pacifica looks over at Dipper who was checking the time on the nearby clock.

"Hey… Dipper?" Pacifica said, turning off the TV, leaving them only illuminated by the window.

"Yeah, Pacifica?" Dipper said, turning to look at Pacifica.

"The last few days have honestly been some of the best days I've ever had…" Pacifica stated.

"Really? I mean, I had fun, too, but I don't think," Dipper cut her off, but was quickly intervened by Pacifica continuing anyway.

"You don't know how hard it is to wake up every day, and have everything handed to you." Pacifica took a deep sigh, and stared at the carpet, "Nobody challenging you, nothing standing in your way… It was fun at first, but when it became all I was…"

Dipper put a comforting hand on Pacifica's shoulder, she smiled and turned her head back toward Dipper.

"But something changed when you came to Gravity Falls. Everyone else in this town is so dull and boring, but things really started to pick up whenever you two were involved."

"This is the Final Straw." Preston Northwest stated, as he sat in his limo with his Wife.

"Preston, I know she's been a bit… disobedient as of late, but she can change." Priscilla Northwest pleaded.

"No, no, dear. If our Daughter doesn't even want to live in the same house as us, I believe we'll need to call upon our… 'Friend', and repay our debt."

"Preston, please…" Priscilla begged.

"My foot is down, Priscilla! I will NOT have this behaviour of hers, inside and out of my household! We have a reputation to uphold, and I will not have it be tainted like this!"

"...They couldn't even let me play Mini-golf casually, I had to play each game as if my life depended on it!" Pacifica vented, she had been going on like this for a while now.

Dipper had been patiently listening, but inside he was wondering how long this anger has been building up.

"But honestly, the reason I think my life has been so much different is because, unlike everyone else in this town, you two challenge me." Pacifica stated, "Especially you. You were never too scared to stand up for Mabel when I was putting her down, or to even make fun of me personally. You slammed the door in my face, the people in this town would be scared to even blink at me!"

"Well, I wouldn't do that to you now. I know who you are now, and you're not the same Pacifica I met at the Mystery Shack Dance Party. The… one without Zombies, I mean." Dipper retold, laughing awkwardly.

"Hah, yeah… But seriously, I love when you're that confident. You should act like that more often, it suits you." Pacifica remarked.

"Yeah, I try to." Dipper said.

"Dipper?"

"What?"

"I've think, I l-"

Pacifica was cut off by a knock on the door.

"I'll get it!" Mabel's voice called out, a bit nervously. Her footsteps ran down the hall and to the front door, where she opened to reveal Pacifica's Parents.

"Hello, young Girl. We heard from a… Norman, that he saw our Daughter, Pacifica Northwest, somewhere around here. Would you know anything about this?" Preston asked Mabel, staring deep into her eyes.

"Uuhh…" Mabel worried nervously, she looked behind her to see Dipper shaking his head, motioning for Mabel to be silent.

"I, uh… don't know…?" Mabel lied, trying to keep everything under control.

"This is 'Yes' or 'No', girl. Do you know anything, or was the one who gave us information on our daughter's location false?" Preston pressed Mabel.

Mabel was in a panicked state, "Uhm…"

"She doesn't know anything about this, Mr. Northwest!" Dipper intervened, seeing Mabel was obviously having trouble keeping it together.

"Are you sure?" Preston stared down Dipper.

"One hundred percent, Mr. Northwest!" Dipper confirmed.

"One hundred and TEN Percent! Yep!" Mabel added.

Preston, while still a bit skeptical, decided to take the twin's word on this one.

"Oh, man, that was close! How'd he find out?" Dipper wondered.

"I dunno… Guess this'll just have to be one mystery we never delve deeper into!" Mabel said.

Dipper shrugged, "I guess so. Besides, Pacifica doesn't have much time to stay with us anyway, and I still have a few more things I want to do with her…"

"Well, you do that. I need some sleep…" Mabel yawned, and started heading upstairs.

"Yeah, it is getting pretty late… guess we should be heading to bed as well, huh Pacifica?" Dipper said, heading back into the Living Room.

But when he did, he saw Pacifica had fallen asleep on the chair. Dipper smiled, sat beside her and fell asleep next to her. He was still curious as to what Pacifica was trying to say before they were interrupted by the door, but he'd have to find that out tomorrow.

"Well, I suppose this Norman was just another prankster. Why would she even want to go to that dingy shack out in the middle of the woods anyway?" Preston growled on the limo ride back to his mansion.

"I suppose we'll just have to hope she'll turn up eventually." Priscilla stated, "At least we don't have to deal with our little friend…"

"Oh, we will, Priscilla. I know we will." Preston said ominously.

Priscilla was shocked, "B-b-but… we don't even have her, how could we…"

"He knows where to find her, and when he does, he will do what need be done." Preston explained.

When Preston and Priscilla returned home, Preston ordered everyone to allow him privacy in his room, even his wife.

He went over to his window, and took out a Triangular Pendant with a glowing orb in the middle. He pressed down on the orb, and it flashed many colors before revealing an image of Preston's "Friend".

"It has been a while, hasn't it? I think this call means you know what has happened. Now I believe it's time for us to repay our bargain…"

From the Northwest's Mansion, a blue flaming Orb blasted out in search of it's Target. It surveyed the entire town, using a grid-like scanner to investigate buildings, caves and even underwater in search of it's target.

It flew above the town to find the Mystery Shack, where it found a match for it's target, Pacifica Northwest. The Orb flew in through an open window, and loomed over Pacifica as it watched her sleep.

The following morning, Dipper awoke bright and early to find Pacifica gone!

"Huh? Pacifica, where are you?" He called out, but nobody responded.

"Pacifica!" He called out again, and again nobody responded.

Until Mabel came downstairs, and noticed Pacifica's absence, "Hey, Bro, where'd Pacifica go?"

"I don't know, she just… vanished!" Dipper worried.

"Hey, Kids?" Grunkle Stan called out from his room, "Have any of you seen my large, black suit? You know, the one I normally wear during business hours?"

"Don't you have, like, a thousand of those?" Dipper asked.

"Yeah, but this one was… special." Grunkle Stan responded, "Have you seen it or not?"

"Man, it seems like everythings disappearing." Dipper stated, "What, did the Journals get stolen as well?"

Dipper and Mabel laughed, thinking of the possibility ridiculous. But then they both stopped laughing, and went upstairs to their room to check if the Journals were still there.

After searching for a while, they couldn't find the Journals.

"Dipper… you don't think Pacifica had anything to do with this, do you?" Mabel asked.

"Oh, don't be silly. That couldn't have possibly been the case, Pacifica might've been cruel and boastful, but she wasn't a thief." Dipper mentioned.

But that's when a note is found on Dipper's bed, written in Pacifica's Handwriting,

" _Dear Dipper…_

 _I can't believe how easy it was! You and Sh… I mean, Mabel, are really deep sleepers! Stealing those Journals was a cinch! I was gonna do SOMETHING with them, but I think I know two people who'd like them MUCH better than you ever could in a million years!_

 _Later, Suckers!_

 _Pacifica"_

"No… No, she couldn't have… no! She changed, this isn't who she is, I know it isn't!" Dipper roared, pounding at the paper.

"Face it, Dipper. Some people just never change…" Mabel comforted.


	8. Chapter 6: Revelation

Chapter 6: Revelation

"Hey, kids, take a look at this!" Grunkle Stan called the twins downstairs, and they both rushed down swiftly.

The Twins saw Soos, Grunkle Stan and Ford in the Living Room with the TV turned to the news. On the Television was a live broadcast of Town Square, Preston and Priscilla Northwest in front of a large drape.

"We're about an hour away to the reveal of the Missing Northwest," A News Reporter stated on the Television, "We're told by the Family that the Angel of Gravity Falls changed for the better!"

"Changed? What are they talking about, what did they do to Pacifica?" Dipper asked, worriedly.

"Don't you see, Bro? Pacifica was just using you, like I said! She only wanted your Journals!" Mabel attempted to convince.

"Mabel, I know Pacifica has been rude, vindictive and cruel in the past, but I've said it once and I'll say it again, SHE IS NOT A…"

"Wait, Dipper!" Ford silences the two, and points at a close-up shot of Mr. and Mrs. Northwest, resting in the arms of Preston Northwest is what appears to be Journal 3.

"No, Pacifica…" Dipper knelt down, his arm slowly descending on the TV screen, "I thought…"

"The people in Gravity Falls can be deceitful, Dipper. They know more than they lead on…" Ford explained, "It's the exact reason I never trust anyone."

"But Pacifica, she was different, I know she was! In fact, let's go down there right now, I'm gonna put a stop to this!" Dipper stated furiously.

"I suppose we have to." Ford said, "Regardless of Pacifica, the Northwests are in possession of the Journals and dangerous information to this town. We must get them back!"

So, Dipper, Mabel and Ford started their journey to Town Square.

"Dipper, this is coming from someone who's had a bad string of relationships this summer, you should honestly just let this one go before you get hurt." Mabel stated.

"Mabel, I don't LOVE Pacifica. I just... I just don't want her to be miserable her entire life." Dipper explained.

"How do you know she's miserable? She could've been just lying to you." Mabel stated

"I just KNOW, okay? She's not like her Parents." Dipper said.

"Dipper, she's obviously up to no good, the Note, the Journals… Really, if it's obvious to me, it should be obvious to…"

"I KNOW, MABEL!" Dipper shouted, cutting Mabel off. He calmed down, "But… I don't think that was her."

"What? Then who could it be, Gideon?" Mabel joked.

"Of course not! But… I think she might've been under some kind of Mental Brainwashing, or something."

"What? Dipper, you're acting crazy." Mabel stated.

"I'm not, I am so not! The Northwests have some kind of control over Pacifica, first with the Bell, and now with some other kind of crazy… thing!" Dipper explained.

"You two, calm down! We're only going over to get the Journals back, and leave." Ford explained, "I've known these Northwests, and none of them are any good. Lying, corrupt scumbags are all they are."

"Ford, come on! You've seen Pacifica, she's not that bad, isn't she?" Dipper offered.

"Dipper, listen to me. The Northwests are Two-faced liars, one minute they say they love you, and the next they're shoving you down in the dirt." Ford told Dipper, even stopping to kneel to get the point across.

"Both of you are wrong, I know Pacifica isn't as evil as the other Northwests, I just know she isn't!" Dipper stated, pushing past Ford to keep walking.

Ford and Mabel looked at each other, and sighed.

As the three get closer to Town Square, they notice it's only moments away from the big reveal. Dipper, Mabel and Ford make their way to near the front to get a good look at the event.

"Ladies and gentlemen of Gravity Falls," Preston Northwest announced on a microphone, "Welcome to the Grand Reveal of the new starlette of Gravity Falls!"

Preston spoke on and on about how heartbreaking the loss of their daughter has been, and how joyous they were to see her willingly return. None of which Dipper bought.

"Anyway, I believe I've delayed the inevitable for long enough, allow me to Introduce… Pacifica Northwest, Remade."

The drapes behind Preston were pulled, and a thick cloud of smoke flew over the crowd. Lights popped from the base of the stage, and began darting wildly until focusing on the middle, where Pacifica's Shadow could be seen.

Pacifica walked upstage, and became slowly more visible. She was wearing an altered version of Grunkle Stan's suit to fit her, a tie and a golden dress. She also had a small cane with a jewel on top.

"Hello, Gravity Falls! Oh, it's so great to be back!" Pacifica called out to the crowd, waving to everyone, "You all know me… Pacifica Northwest, local celebrity..."

"Wait a minute…" Dipper said, squinting his eyes.

"What is it, Dip?" Mabel asked.

"That… That's not Pacifica." Dipper stated.

"What are you talking about, that's definitely Pacifica." Mabel said, pointing at Pacifica.

"Doesn't she sound a bit familiar?" Dipper asked.

Mabel and Dipper listened closely to Pacifica.

"While I was gone, I stumbled across a few books out in the middle of nowhere!" Pacifica then pulled out Journal 2, "It's a bunch of stories about Rocks with Faces, UFO's and even this crazy Triangle Guy!" Pacifica flipped through the pages.

"Hey, that's my journal!" Ford called out, pushing through the crowd.

"Oh, really?" Pacifica responded, allowing Ford to come onstage with her.

"Young girl, I demand you give that Journal back!" Ford roared.

"Alright, sheesh, I'm right here! You don't have to yell…" Pacifica smiled, and waggled a finger for him to kneel down.

Pacifica whispered into his ear, and after a moment of silence, he sighed and went back into the crowd.

"A round of applause for Crazy Guy #105!" Pacifica mocked as Ford silently headed back.

"Wait, what happened, Ford?" Dipper asked.

"She said that the Northwests know we kept Pacifica at the Shack for the past few days, and if we let them keep the Journals, they won't press charges." Ford explained.

"Dipper, you see what happens when you trust people? Now Pacifica has Blackmail against us, our summer is ruined…" Mabel complained at Dipper.

But Dipper was too wrapped up in listening to Pacifica drone on and on about how happy she is to be back, how she promises to be more active in the community, and all that stuff like that, but something about Pacifica just didn't sit right with him.

After the show, Dipper snuck behind the stage to meet up with Pacifica.

After a bit of searching, Dipper managed to find Pacifica alone, adjusting her suit and dress.

"Pacifica, what's happened to you? I thought you were trying to be separated from your parents, and you just blackmailed my family! What's going on?" Dipper asked, a bit angry.

Pacifica groaned, "Ugh, you again? Look, I don't have time to feel sorry for you. Go away, please."

"Pacifica, I know this isn't you, come on! We had so much fun together, remember?" Dipper tried to reason with her.

"Oh, my gosh, you're such a gullible little kid!" Pacifica laughed, "Why don't you just go back to your troll family under the bridge, Pine Tree?"

"Pine Tree?" Dipper repeated.

"Hey, Dad?" Pacifica called out for assistance from her father.

Preston showed up, putting the Number 3 Journal away, "Yes, Pacifica?"

"Please escort this intruder away from my presence." Pacifica waved her hand at Dipper, walking away.

"I apologize, young man, but you must be on your way." Preston ordered.

"No, I gotta talk with Pacifica! PACIFICA!" Dipper yelled, but Pacifica just ignored him.

"Hey, what happened to you?" Mabel asked.

Dipper had his head down, befuddled at what just happened, "I told you guys I was right, Pacifica lost her body to Bill Cipher, there's no way she's like this now."

"What? That's ridiculous, right Ford?" Mabel laughed.

But Ford only looked back at the Town Square, and looked back down at the kids, "How do you kids know about him?"

"Well… It's kind of a long story. We'll explain on the way back." Dipper begun, as they all began heading back to the Mystery Shack.


	9. Chapter 7: Realization

Chapter 7: Realization

"...And after that, we haven't really heard much from him." Dipper finished, after explaining the entire history of his interactions with Bill Cipher.

Ford was a bit stunned, to say the least. At a loss for words. He needed a minute to just let all of the information sink in.

"Thank you for telling me this, Dipper. I don't blame you, you didn't know what kind of being you were dealing with." Ford stated.

"Oh, man, thank you, I was SO afraid to tell you that! I thought you were gonna tear me apart, or something!" Dipper said, relieved.

"But now that Bill is in control of Pacifica's body, and it seems he has access to some kind of powers through that staff you described, we'll need some help from the other side." Ford explained.

"Wait, you don't mean…" Dipper started.

"Yes, Dipper. We're going to perform a Seance to contact the spirit of Pacifica Northwest." Ford exclaimed.

"How's talking with her spirit gonna help?" Dipper asked.

"You'll see, just follow my lead. Come on, I have a Seance Kit back at the Shack." Ford said.

That night, Mabel, Dipper and Ford sat around the Kitchen Table with candles illuminating the area.

"So… how is this going to help?" Dipper asked.

"Pacifica's spirit still lingers in this plane," Ford explained, pouring salt in the form of a pentagram around the table, "So we're going to contact her, and we'll then be able to tether her spirit to an object that is easy to control, like a…"

"Like a Puppet?" Mabel offered.

"Yes, exactly! Do you have any of those Sock Puppets you told me about?" Ford asked.

"No, we had to blow them up to keep Bill Cipher away, but I think one of them survived, right Mabel?" Dipper stated.

"Oh, no! I'm not going to let Pacifica control Puppet Mabel!" Mabel refused angrily.

"We don't really have any other options, Mabel. We don't exactly have the time to make another one." Dipper said.

"Oh… fine." Mabel grumbled, pulling out her Mabel Puppet and placing it in the middle of the pentagram.

"And now, the Seance can begin!" Ford announced.

The three held hands, and closed their eyes shut. Ford began speaking in an unknown language, before speaking actual english.

"Spirit of Pacifica Northwest, if you can hear our plea, come to us and control this vessel!"

Yet nothing happened.

Ford repeated, "Spirit of Pacifica Northwest, if you can hear our plea, come to us and control this vessel!"

The room began to shake slightly. Dipper and Mabel could feel the vibrations of the floorboards creaking.

A blue flame began to spark around the Pentagram, but no fire appeared yet. The two were worried, but trusted Ford.

"Spirit of Pacifica Northwest… If you can hear our plea… Come to us and control this vessel!" Ford repeated once more, this time more forcefully.

The room began shaking much more violently now, the doors to the Fridge and Cupboards were opening and shutting, the floorboards began the creak as if they could collapse any minute, and the pentagram began to burn a vibrant blue.

The Pines Twins closed their eyes, when a blast of blue energy shot everyone backwards, and knocked them all out cold.

Many people say dreams are gateways into the subconscious. It's the part of our brain we cannot access, yet is open to us through our dreams. It's for this reasons most dreams don't make sense, yet we accept the reality of unrealism and fact, and rarely question its logic, or lack thereof.

In a way, Bill Cipher is a being much like our Subconscious. A being who makes sense yet no sense at the same time. This is why he is such a master at manipulating the subconscious. He knows the inner workings of dreams and nightmares so well, it has worked into his own personality.

Yet, when he was given the task to invade the mind of Pacifica Northwest, her dreams weren't like anything he's ever seen in his life.

Chains. Locked up memories, hopes, emotions, dreams and other aspirations, all locked away by silver chains scattered all around her mind. Unlike many people's minds, that is represented by a house, a building, a cave or what have you, this had no structure to it. Just an empty void where Pacifica had to keep them all locked away.

It almost made him feel bad. But, being a timeless spaceless dream demon, he didn't really care about one child in a poor family relationship. He had a job to do.

He flew to the one structured area in Pacifica's Mindscape, two platforms connected by a Staircase. On the top of said staircase was Pacifica, floating in a strange bubble. Now while normally Pacifica would be stationary, it seemed as if she was trying to break out of it.

"Well, look at this." Bill stated, floating his way up the stairs, "Looks like someone is stuck."

But Bill couldn't hear Pacifica through the bubble, she banged on the bubble, as if calling out for help.

Bill rolled his eye, and used his cane to pop the bubble. Out Pacifica came, and she fell to the ground with a thud.

"Thank you… who are you?" Pacifica asked.

"Name's Bill Cipher, glad to meet you." Bill greeted himself, with a tip of his hat.

"Bill.. Cipher? Wait, I think I remember you… from a book somewhere…" Pacifica said, rubbing her temples.

"The journals, am I right? The one Pine Tree has?" Bill asked.

"You mean Dipper?" Pacifica wondered.

"Yeah! His Great Uncle dedicated three books to my work, isn't that neat? I bet he's a real fan, maybe I should send him an autograph!" Bill joked around.

"Wait, so… all of those things in the books, those are the real deal?" Pacifica asked.

"You should know, Llama!" Bill stated, revealing the instances where she was victim to a Golf Ball War and the Haunting.

"Oh, yeah, right… Wait, did you just call me Llama?" Pacifica asked.

"Yeah, Llama." Bill clarified.

"Just call me Pacifica, please…" Pacifica groaned.

"Pacifica? Pretty weird name, but I'm no Demon to judge. Anyway, I'm here to take your body away from you, orders of Preston Northwest!" Bill Cipher explained.

"What? My dad made a deal with a Demon, how?" Pacifica asked.

"Not important. He said that you crossed a line this time, and that this is your punishment. Plus, I get to have control of the town, so that's great for me!" Bill explained.

"Wait! Before you do that, I, um… I didn't want to tell him, but I actually have a different motive for getting on Dipper's good side!" Pacifica lied.

"Listen, pal, I don't think you know how this works-" Bill began to say, but was interrupted.

"If you like Deals so much, how about we make a deal? If I give my father something that he'll LOVE to have, YOU can't get my body! But… if I disappoint him, you can do whatever you want, I guess." Pacifica offered.

"And what did you have in mind? What could you give Preston Northwest something that he can't just buy?" Bill asked.

Pacifica smiled, "Something that holds ultimate power…"

Dipper woke up after a few minutes, and was the first to. He noticed that the Mabel Puppet was floating above the table, looking around.

"P-pacifica?" Dipper called out.

"Yes, it is me, Pazifka! Come and give me a kiss, lover!" A horrible female voice impression came from the Puppet.

"Wait, you're not Pacifica!" Dipper realized.

"Of course I'm not, genius." The Puppet said, slowly falling to reveal Bill Cipher's full Triangular body.

"Wait, Bill? But aren't you controlling Pacifica?" Dipper asked.

"Well, I was, but then the deal got cut off. Turns out my policy of 'Accept All Deals' didn't work out too well." Bill Cipher stated.

"Wait, so that means… It was Pacifica who…" Dipper stated, putting the pieces together.

"Yep. She did it. She stole the Journals to save her young soul from being stolen. Pretty brave, if you ask me." Bill Cipher explained.

"Oh…" Dipper said, sighing dramatically.

Bill was still hovering there, looking over him, "So… Do you want to make a deal?"

Dipper just looked at him with anger, and Bill knew he wasn't wanted anymore.

"Sheesh, alright, kid. Say 'Hi' to Ford for me, will ya?" Bill said, before vanishing from the room.

"Dipper… Dipper, wake up!" Mabel's voice called out, who was shaking him violently.

"Mengh, huh?" Dipper woke up on the couch, it turns out that whole experience with Bill was just in his mind.

"Did you see Pacifica, Dipper?" Mabel asked, "I didn't see anything, I just woke up and you were still asleep."

"I had a dream about this alternate dimension where everyone looked like a monster-like freak! It was awful, just awful. Makes me glad I live in this universe…" Ford explained.

"I… No, I didn't see her. We just need to focus on getting the Journals back." Dipper said, pulling his hat bill over his face.

"Dipper, are you alright?" Mabel asked.

"Yeah, just… I saw it, but… I don't want to talk about Pacifica anymore. I need some time…"

Dipper found the note Pacifica left for him, it seemed like in his hastiness to find good in Pacifica lead him to believe the craziest things. It was true Bill was about to, but it was like what Mabel said… Some people just don't change.

Back at Northwest Manor, Pacifica was being praised for her good work at getting the Journals.

"Pacifica, I don't know why I ever doubted you!" Preston told Pacifica, "You really are a Northwest after all."

"Thank you, Father." Pacifica smiled, bowing politely.

"With this book, we'll be able to have more control over the town than we used to, all we need to do is find them. We could even put that dusty old Mystery Shack to shame, why not the Mystery Mansion?" Preston considered out loud.

"Mystery… Mansion?" Pacifica repeated.

"Indeed. But instead of it being a Tourist Trap, we'll have it like a fine arts museum. Some of these things look very nice indeed… We could even have some of these pages on display!" Preston continued.

"Sounds amazing, I never liked that Pines family anyway." Pacifica stated.

"And why should you like them? Nothing but filthy mongrels, that family completely ruined our Party a few weeks ago with those… Commonfolk." Preston winced upon saying that word.

Pacifica laughed, and as Preston continued on, she headed back to her room.

It was almost exactly as she'd left it, the bed was messy, the window she looked out to see the Mystery shack was still open, and it still glowed so brightly.

"...I'm sorry, Dipper…" Pacifica said, her hand sliding down the window pane.

As Dipper continued to read the note over and over, he failed to realize that there was some writing on the back.

He looked at it, and it read…

" _Sorry, Dipper. I didn't want to. But it was the only way I could keep myself from losing my body. I hope you can forgive me, and that one day we can put this all behind us and stay friends."_

Dipper's lips trembled, and he shoved his face into his pillow to muffle his tears.


End file.
